Stubborn Springer stealing other dogs' balls

[BlondeWrites]

Just wondering if anyone's got any tips/advice, or even just similar experiences...

My Springer, Noodle, is a year old, and is a terrible ball-thief. We usually take a ball out with us to the park or the beach, and he'll fetch for hours if we let him, but if another dog appears with a ball, it's game over. Noodle will take the other dog's ball and will not give it back. Not for treats (even high-value ones), not for his own toys, not for anything. The stubbornness is genuinely impressive, but also mortifying.

We're currently working with a trainer on this and are practising the 'two-ball game' daily - using two identical balls but one only gets thrown when Noodle has dropped the other one, if that makes sense. I think it works by showing him that if he drops the ball nicely, he gets to carry on playing.

I know spaniels are known for being ball-obsessed, so if any spaniel-owners know how to deal with world-class stubbornness, let me know! Or is it just a case of persevering with the training and putting up with our embarrassment in the meantime?

Here's a pic, because he's a handsome boy.

I also have a ball mad spaniel but he ignores other dogs
I think the two ball game is the way to go
My spaniel has been known to hold 3 in his mouth at once so watch out if he just starts collecting them all

I have a springer x cocker who steals balls (and socks, toys, anything lying around) and stores them in various places around the house.

We were advised to swap a ball for a treat so he is rewarded for parting with it, so similar,to the two ball game.
At home we make sure he has loads of balls, as he can't get enough of them!

Yes keep going with two balls. Mine drops the first one because he knows I will throw the other. In fact we have just moved back to one ball because he would drop the first as soon as he picked it up because he's so keen to get the second and I was getting fed up of walking to get it back.

Could you use different coloured balls or maybe some 'better' ones other than tennis balls (thinking along the lines of chuckit ultra) so he starts to associate that those are his?

P.s. mine is a ball obsessed cocker spaniel

Yes, BiteyShark - we're using two of the Chuckit balls for the 2-ball game, nice hardwearing bright orange ones! So I think he knows those ones are 'his' but for some reason, another dog's ratty tennis ball is far more appealing! Sod's law (or Noodle's law, at this rate).

He doesn't do much in the way of stealing and/or hoarding at home - he'll steal the odd sock but doesn't dig his heels in if you take it off him. I love him, but good Lord, he's embarrassing. We'll keep going with the training.

They aren't other dogs' balls, they're HIS balls that are inexplicably in the possession of other dogs.

All of them

Oh my springer loves to chase a ball, but never brings it back, just runs round in circles with it.
So, no helpful advice really, just sympathy

Haha, colditz - I think you're right. ALL balls are Noodle's balls (poor pup was neutered a few weeks back, maybe he's just trying to compensate?!)

Oh dear not sure what to suggest then as BiteyDog isn't interested in other balls just his. So presumably if you throw his ball he still won't give the stolen one up?

Ugh we had one of these. 2 ball game works (usually!) teach the ‘leave it’ command and use it on other stuff all the time. Sometimes it then works with the ball!
Sometimes if it was just a tennis ball, I’d have a spare I could swap with the other poor owner. I feel your pain!

No advice to add just wanted to say noodle looks super cute and I would happily let him steal all the balls

I've no real help, but you should consider that this can be more than an issue of embarrassment. If the other dog has resource guarding issues, that dog might decide to defends its ball and start a scrap with your dog.

Thanks, bigsighall, it's good to hear someone else knows what it's like! We try and take 2 or 3 balls out with us so that it's not the end of the world if we have to do a swap. We have been working on impulse control and "leave it" with our trainer too, so I think we just have to keep going. I just had a very cross message from my partner this morning along the lines of "bloody dog's embarrassed me again!"

And no, Bitey, throwing his own ball (or offering a treat, or walking away) doesn't seem to work. He even gives his head a little shake when you say, "drop!" as if to say, "no chance I'm dropping this!" And of course if you try and take it from him, he either runs away, or digs his teeth into the stolen ball and won't let go. It'd be impressive if it wasn't so infuriating. Bless his paws

I have a collie who is ball obsessed and will steal other dogs toys and then cleverly stay just out of reach throwing the ball for himself.
We don’t throw things for him now as it just ramps up the obsession. With other dogs we just have to be observant and call him back the moment we spot another dog playing, he is getting better now we’ve stopped throwing things for him and he’s also less obsessed with chasing bikes and joggers thank god.

My Springer cross was a devil for this. He, eventually, grew out of it with lots of distraction techniques (including me shouting WOSSIS like a total loon, throwing something anything to get him interested). It only took 6 years...!

I used ball play as a means of recall and keeping my springer cross interested in me out on walks but it quickly became a problem in the same way as you describe plus she started to resource guard and run away from me when it was time to leave the park etc. I stopped all ball play at one years old and haven’t been back to our local park since! We did training out on walks, hide and seek, I would throw bits of food into the grass around me to increase my value to her. I mixed up her walks with off lead time and on lead calm walking. I gave her a football for out in the garden and have created a time when she knows that she will get a play. Initially we had to hide the ball after playtime otherwise she would just obsess over it all day but now it can stay outside and she won’t worry about it until her playtime. I have just started bringing a chuckit ball out a couple of times a week to play with but we are nowhere near being able to be leave it lying around. It has taken a lot of consistency and time but we now have relaxed happy walks where sniffing and exploring are much better for her and she actually seems a much happier dog for not playing with a ball on walks and just looks forward to her ball time in the evening. It works for us😬

Noodle is very handsome! (I have two Springer girls so may be slightly biased). Our older one was ball obsessed, though was quite good at giving up other dog's balls - we had the command 'Not yours'. The younger one is not interested in balls.

I do think there is something about tennis balls in particular that was very attractive - maybe the particular smell. She would always find tennis balls on any walk, we amassed huge collections. I have no advice other than to keep working on the two ball strategy.

The obsession finally wore off at about age 11 when she started becoming arthritic, and the vet banned all ball games. She is now a very slow 13 year old - she still likes to pick up and carry a ball around, have it in her bed etc, and will take a ball away from dogs who come to visit but has learned that playing with it is beyond her now.

No advice but what a gorgeous boy.

We used to be on the other side of this when my dog was younger.

She was also ball obsessed and the amount of times her ball was stolen by another dog who refused to give it back were legion. Looking back I have my suspicions that most of them were spaniels of one type or another.

She, on the other hand, will not touch a ball belonging to another dog. If she's looking for her ball and comes across another dog's ball she'll give it a tentative sniff and walk away without touching it.

Very fastidious my dog, shame she doesn't have the same level of fussy when she's hoovering up rabbit droppings.

Ooh, forgot to say, he looks very debonair in his hat.

I feel your pain.

I habe a ball obsessed labrador. She is a terrible thief, and I have to 'strip search' her before leaving any encounter. She is capable of not one, but two balls, easily, in her mouth at the same time (the stolen ball always behind her own), and on one memorable occassion, we got back to the car with her carrying three at the same time...... tbf, she did struggle with that one!

She has balls in the garden, she is not, categorically not, allowed them in the house. So she nonchalantly wanders around the corner, posts said balls through catflap into boot room, then returns to wander ball less through patio doors.

Pe4haps ger great, great great grandma was a spaniel 😁

Mines a theif.

I recall, open mouth, take ball and return

Ball obsessed springer here too. I'm sorry - but noodle is wrong. All balls actually belong to Tolly.

My spaniel has had his ball stolen. His face is a mix of horror and shock when another dog runs off with it and gives me a look of 'please go and get my ball back'

I realise this thread is somewhat lighthearted but for people like me who have a ball obsessed dog that minds his own business and doesn’t particularly want to interact with other dogs there is nothing more annoying than some other dog taking his ball and the owner finding it ‘entertaining’ that they cannot recall their dog and give it back .